The easiest way to feel out of our depth – particularly as we age – is to learn something new. Like another language, perhaps? It proves a powerful and sustained metaphor in this fast-paced thriller.

John Dyer, ex-journalist, returns to the UK with his Brazilian-born son, Leandro. Dyer was schooled in Oxford and gains a place for his son in his alma mater beside children of wealthy families from many nations. Dyer is not wealthy. He is an underdog, a fish out of water, and empathetic with other minority characters.

He’s a soccer dad and his time on the sideline initiates a friendship with an Iranian father. This nuclear physicist confides in Dyer that he has potentially discovered a method of nuclear fusion. If true, this Holy Grail would be priceless … and dangerous. The burden of this, along with the kidnapping of his wife and daughter back in Iran, forces the scientist into hiding. Before he disappears, he leaves Dyer the formula. But what can an ex-journalist do with it?

Physics is a new language for Dyer. So is espionage. He is fluent in neither. Dyer has ad hoc reunions with fellow students from his year. His interactions with these characters, plus parents from other countries – mostly predators chasing the formula for material or strategic gain – raise the stakes. The actions of intelligence communities of his country, plus those of allies and enemies alike, place him in danger. To survive, Dyer must ‘untangle himself into becoming what normally he was not’.

There are some disjointed time slips in the narrative, convenient coincidences, and Shakespeare, like most authors, writes cringe-worthy sex scenes. These are trifles. The setting, tone and suspense are masterfully handled. Perhaps a fish out of water really can swim.

Reviewed by Bob Moore